Suara.com – Secretary General of the DPP PDI Perjuangan (PDIP) Hasto Kristiyanto stated that there is already a name for the vice presidential candidate (cawapres) for Ganjar Pranowo.
In fact, he said he was just waiting for the playing date to be announced directly by the General Chairperson of the PDIP DPP, Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Hasto emphasized this statement in response to questions from media crew regarding the name of the vice presidential candidate, Ganjar Pranowo, who was said to have narrowed down to two names, namely Mahfud MD and Khofifah Indar Parawansa.
“Yes, the name is already there. Yes, just wait for the playing date from Mrs. Megawati Soekarnoputri. Input from the president, from the party chairmen, has been conveyed,” said Hasto, quoted by Suara.com, Saturday (30/9/2023).
Also read: Mahfud MD receives a warm welcome from PDIP cadres amidst the issue of being Ganjar’s vice presidential candidate, Hasto gives this response
When asked about the possibility of Khofifah’s name already being in Megawati’s pocket, Hasto said that the names had already been narrowed down.
“Yes, the names have been narrowed down because the investigation has been going on for quite a long time,” he said.
He said that communication had also been carried out, especially with President Jokowi who was also present at the opening of the IV PDIP National Working Meeting yesterday.
“Earlier there were also whispers from Mr. Jokowi, as well as discussions with Mrs. Megawati Sukarnoputri on the way here. Then with Mr. Ganjar, that shows that there is an understanding,” he said.
Furthermore, he said, the existence of the IV PDIP National Working Meeting was also used as momentum to face the 2024 elections.
Also read: Mentioned as Ganjar’s vice presidential candidate, Mahfud MD is showered with applause from cadres when attending the IV PDIP National Working Meeting
“So with the National Working Meeting as a very positive momentum that unites farmers and fishermen with impartial leadership, it will encourage efforts to announce the vice presidential candidate and of course we will follow the stages given by the KPU,” he said.
Previously, Hasto Kristiyanto said that the likely candidate for vice presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo would be Mr X or Mrs X.
Responding to Hasto’s statement, SMRC researcher Saidiman Ahmad assessed that the figures of Mr X and Mrs X that Hasto referred to could possibly be Mahfud MD and Khofifah Indar Parawansa.
Saidiman assessed that both Mahfud and Khofifah were Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) cadres and came from East Java (Jatim).
According to him, based on history, PDIP has always partnered with NU figures as vice presidential candidates, except in the 2009 presidential election, when Megawati Soekarnoputri was paired with Prabowo Subianto.
“Mahfud’s consideration is to represent NU and East Java. So far, NU and East Java’s voices have been leaning towards Ganjar, so by bringing out Mahfud, it is possible to maintain the mass base,” said Saidiman when contacted by journalists, Wednesday (27/9/2023).
He explained that PDIP had an interest in maintaining its mass base, not to move because of Anies Baswedan’s efforts to attract the NU and East Java masses by recruiting Muhaimin Iskandar.
“East Java is the mass base of Ganjar and East Java, so the strategy that will be played is how to keep the mass base from leaving,” he said.
Furthermore, he said, when Ridwan Kamil, for example, came from West Java, he was chosen with the aim of expanding his mass base in the region.
According to him, so far West Java has been separated from Ganjar and PDIP so that recruiting RK aims to narrow the gap or distance.
“It turns out that of the two choices between expanding and maintaining the mass base, the dominant one is maintaining the base,” he said.
